5 tips for writing suspense

A few handy tips to keep your readers on the edge of their seat - and in the palm of your hand.

When you think about suspense writing, what comes to mind? Murder mysteries, detective novels? Thrillers? Here's what I got when I looked it up in the dictionary:

sus·pense/səˈspens/

noun a sense of anticipation regarding an undecided, uncertain, or doubtful outcome.

Not knowing what's around the corner is part of life. Not knowing is one half of suspense. The other crucial half is anticipation. Needing to know what will happen next - so badly, that we can't put the book down or change channels till we find out.

The tools for building suspense - figuring out where the emotional heart of the story lies, and keeping your reader invested in the unfolding events - will serve you well in whatever kind of story you are writing.

Map it out

Have you ever started telling a story to friends, and had to backtrack to an important detail you'd forgot to mention? It's easy to get tangled up in plot lines for even a simple story.

Write out your story as a list of dot points. Write down everything that happened, in the order that it happened. Now, add dot points for information that provides important context, or gives us an insight into your character. This list will be a useful reference point as you start to construct your story.

Look at your list of dot points. Where are the emotional peaks? Which parts can you cover quickly, and which parts do you want to tease out and explore in detail? Are there any elements that are particularly atmospheric, that allow us to connect with you in the scene? Which elements are absolutely crucial, and which could be left out?

Where to start?

The first few lines of a story are all about creating a hook for the reader, by engaging our mind or our senses, and setting us up with questions and clues that will come together as the story unfolds. As author Lee Child explains in this New York Times piece, when a question is posed or implied, readers have an irresistible urge to read on till the question is answered. We don't need to know everything up front. You can come back to the details about where you are and how you got there after you've got the reader hooked.

Have a go at trying these three different openings for your story:

Start in the middle. Open the story in the heart of the action, to bring us immediately into your world. We'll get clues about what's happening and why, and a sense of urgency about figuring out where we are and how to react. Have a look at the opening lines of Reading the rude bits by Natalie Sprite and "We're going to Spiders" by Sean O'Brien for inspiration.

Engage the senses. Hone in on what you can see, smell, taste, feel or hear, to put us in your point of view. Lure us in with atmosphere, and make us feel that we're there with you. Delivery by Image Ronin does this beautifully.

Spark our curiosity. Offer us something odd, contrary, or quirky. Our brains are programmed with a compulsion to solve puzzles and seek resolution, so we'll read on to make sense of what you've told us. In Out of the blue, Carmel Quinn opens her story in a curious and unexpected way, and Walking with Grandad by Helen van Rooijen sets us up with a strange cliffhanger.

Set the stakes

The master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, makes a strong distinction between mystery and suspense. He says mystery is an intellectual thing, while suspense is emotional. And that's all about stakes. Stakes can be a tricky thing to define, but it's about putting yourself back in the emotional state that you were in at the time. Why were you scared? What exactly were you scared of? What was the worst outcome if everything went wrong, and what did you have to lose?

Build stakes subtly by including details that will make us connect with you emotionally, and care about what might happen.

Limit the point of view

There is something tantalising about peeping through keyholes - the exquisite frustration of seeing a little, and straining to see more. Whenever you can, bring us back to your point of view by returning to your senses and only letting us see (or smell, hear, taste or feel) what you were able to at the time.

A satisfying ending

You've made sure we're invested in the outcome of the story, so don't let us down at the end. So many stories start well, then run out of puff by the time they reach the end. Make sure you resolve the story in some way, whether it's reflecting on what happened, or giving us a little twist, or a moment of insight or reflection.

If a great opening is what hooks the reader, a strong ending is what makes them remember the story fondly and send it on to their friends.

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Comments

Susan Cornford

After I printed off this advice, I had an idea for a story (fiction) & started writing it. At about the halfway point of 250 words, I knew it could go any of several ways. So, I thought about what would make a SATISFYING ending & came up with one that I really do think meets the criterion. I can see that this is going to be a regular part of my process from now on. So, thank you!!

June Perkins

Thanks for some brilliant handy tips and examples Vanessa. I'll be using tis the next time I write a story.